As we induct a new class of Rising Star Chefs into The Chronicle's record books, we took some time to catch up with the Class of 2013.

Here's what they're up to:

Kyle Itani, Hopscotch: "Before Rising Stars, people felt like they had discovered us on their own. They were in the know and no one else knew," says Kyle Itani, chef and partner of Oakland's Hopscotch.

But in the past year, he says, "We have just exploded."

The compact 30-seat restaurant does four turns a night. To meet increased demand, the restaurant is now open on Mondays, and has added an annex a few doors down for private parties and large groups.

However, Itani says, even with the increased workload, he'll continue to "push the level of complexity" at the restaurant. "Our goal is to exceed everyone's expectations."

Devin McDavid: Last year at this time, Devin McDavid was Quince's executive pastry chef. But in the fall he moved back to New York to be closer to his family, and in December became the pastry chef at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a farm-to-table restaurant at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, about 30 miles north of Manhattan.

"It was a fun two years," says McDavid of working at Michael Tusk's Michelin-starred restaurant.

Mark Pensa, Acquerello: To make as many things in-house as possible has "always been a dream" for Acquerello's chef de cuisine, Mark Pensa. To that end, he is working toward establishing a bread menu at the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant, with the goal of moving toward fine-dining cart service a la Alain Ducasse.

Pensa is still working out the logistics but hopes to begin offering the expanded selection sometime within the next year.

Brandon Rodgers, Benu: The chef de cuisine at Benu remains in that position, along with helping with menu development and recipe testing for Monsieur Benjamin, the French bistro being opened by Benu chef/owner Corey Lee.

On the home front, Rodgers and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter, in December.

In June he also took over the kitchen across the street at Hi Lo BBQ, another Youkilis venture. But, with the planned sale of Hi Lo, Song will have a chance to redirect his energy at Hog & Rocks, expanding the menu and focusing more on contemporary bar food.

In his limited free time, Song is learning how to throw pottery at a studio in Pacifica. He hopes to eventually make all his own earthenware for the restaurant.